I recently purchased the Walthers National Steel Car 3-Unit drawbar, 53" well stack cars in HO scale. Printed on the side of the car is a load limit of 196,400 lbs. (suggesting 110 ton trucks) A query to National Steel Car revealed that the latest 3-unit drawbar cars made for TTX had load limits of 169,400 lbs. using 70 ton trucks. Did Walthers make a typo (69, 96), or did National Steel Car ever make these units with 110 ton trucks? The Walthers cars come with 70 ton trucks. Enquiring minds want to know!
Just a guess, but could that be the tonnage rating for the entire 3 unit car? I know that the numbers for multiple platform cars like the 3 unit cars are sometimes a bit screwy. While I wouldn't put it past walthers to have had an anal-cranial inversion that day, I think these cars do indeed run on 70 ton trucks. It sticks in my mind they may have also had smaller diameter wheels to allow the double stacked containers to clear more easily. No promises on any of this though as I'm definatly not an expert.
I just got confirmation from National Steel Car. It is indeed a typo on the Walthers cars. The Load limits should be 169,400 lbs.
Out of interest, a car I am working on, a National Steel NWA33 48ft all-purpose articulated 3-unit well car, has 70T trucks at the ends with 33" wheels, but 125T trucks at the articulations with 38" wheels. The load limit per unit is 117,300 lbs.
